Balenciaga finds a mirror in actor Zhou You

What happened Balenciaga’s Summer 25 campaign has been rolled out across prime locations in China, including Beijing SKP, Shanghai’s metro stations, and Hangzhou’s MixC mall. The striking visuals — bold, cinematic, and unmistakably Balenciaga — have transformed city streets into an extension of the luxury fashion house’s avant-garde aesthetic. Shot by photographer Nadia Lee Cohen, the campaign draws inspiration from classic Hollywood screen tests. The use of monochrome backdrops not only nods to vintage silver-screen aesthetics, but also amplifies the campaign’s cinematic feel. The cast features a mix of cultural figures, including Anora star Mark Eydelshteyn, artist Coumba Samba, and American actor Kyle MacLachlan. Chinese actor Zhou You stands out as the only local face in the lineup. Zhou You: A strategic face for Balenciaga’s vision This isn’t Zhou’s first collaboration with Balenciaga. In February, he joined actresses Yang Chaoyue and Zhang Xiaofei in the brand’s Balenciaga Fashion Circle (巴黎世家时尚圈) project, showcasing key luxury fashion pieces. His presence in the Summer 25 campaign, however, marks a deeper moment of alignment between celebrity branding and luxury identity. On Balenciaga’s official WeChat Mini Program (微信小程序), a search for “Zhou You” directs users to the pieces he wears in the campaign, including the Le City bag and Monday sneakers. Since the campaign’s release, monthly search volume for “Zhou You” on Balenciaga’s WeChat storefront has surpassed 150,000 — a signal of rising consumer interest and China-facing campaign engagement. The Jing Take Balenciaga’s partnership with Zhou You is anything but incidental. As one of China’s most intriguing emerging actors, Zhou has built a career on playing characters that resist easy categorization — whether it’s the layered and conflicted Liu Wenqin in Run for Young (风犬少年的天空), the gritty yet endearing “Third Brother” in Lighting Up the Stars (人生大事), or a troubled drifter in The Girl Who Cannot Fly (想飞的女孩), a performance that earned him recognition at the Berlin International Film Festival. His approach to acting — raw, unaffected, and uninterested in likability — mirrors Balenciaga’s creative ethos under Demna Gvasalia, where beauty lies in imperfection, deconstruction, and anti-conformity. Style as subversion: Balenciaga’s ethos in motion From the sock-like Speed Trainer to the hulking Triple S and the oversized 3XL sneaker, Balenciaga under Demna has redefined the boundaries of luxury, merging deconstruction, exaggerated proportions, and a deliberate rejection of conventional aesthetics. The brand’s vision of “avant-garde fashion” thrives on imperfection and subversion, principles that Zhou’s onscreen presence and artistic choices reflect with synergy. What makes this campaign stand out is its refusal to conform to traditional luxury advertising tropes. Instead of a hyper-staged fantasy, it leans into a documentary-style campaign aesthetic, capturing Zhou as he moves through Paris — not as a removed fashion figure, but as someone embedded in the rhythm of the city. The result is an authenticity that positions style as self-expression, not as spectacle. By shifting away from overly curated imagery, Balenciaga’s Summer 25 campaign builds emotional proximity with the viewer — a subtle, strategic move that resonates strongly in a China luxury market craving originality and substance. At the same time, the Summer 25 campaign’s widespread rollout reinforces the brand’s storytelling beyond digital platforms and exclusive runways. Cultural relevance meets market precision In an era when attention is scarce, luxury brands in China must choose their ambassadors with precision — not merely based on fame, but based on their ability to embody brand identity and drive digital performance. In Zhou, Balenciaga has found a uniquely China-relevant figure whose artistic persona aligns with the house’s disruptive spirit. This is more than a campaign — it’s a case study in how fashion storytelling, local celebrity power, and WeChat e-commerce can converge to create a scalable brand moment. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Balenciaga finds a mirror in actor Zhou You

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Published April 03, 2025

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Balenciaga finds a mirror in actor Zhou You